Since 2001, International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) has been a day of observance and remembrance dedicated to the people we have lost to drug overdoses and their loved ones. One of the patterns of behavior that can lead to overdose is opioid use disorder, or OUD.
Opioid use disorder is a mental health condition characterized by persistent and overpowering desire to use opioids, despite negative social, mental, or physical repercussions of continued use.
While signs of physical dependence like opioid tolerance or withdrawal can contribute to OUD, it can also arise from a psychological dependence on opioids. Additionally, while people often associate OUD solely with illicit drugs like heroin, it is also a significant risk for people who take prescription opioid medicines. Misperceptions that OUD is simply a moral failing or only emerges from illegal opioid use can make it more difficult for people with OUD to understand their condition and seek treatment.
The Patient Perspective
In addition to the physical and psychological consequences of OUD, people with this condition also have to navigate the stigma around the disease and deal with its social impact.
Let’s listen to a man in his early 40s with OUD describe his experience living with this condition and how the stigma makes his condition even more difficult to deal with.
Decoding the Patient Voice
Understanding the patient voice is at the heart of what we do at inVibe, which we approach holistically by analyzing what is said, how it’s said, and how it sounds.
In his response, this man describes the pain and frustration of hiding his condition from those around him. While he describes the condition itself quite intensely with strongly negative language, he only brings up direct impacts of OUD briefly. Instead, he talks at length about stigma, being looked down upon, and feeling resigned to “hide” his condition – even from healthcare professionals.
These same feelings of frustration and resignation also come through in how his voice sounds. From observing the acoustic signals of his voice, we can measure the level of disaffection in his negative emotional affect (‘valence’) and low enthusiasm (‘activation’).
All of these elements add up to a familiar conclusion for people familiar with the OUD space: people who already struggle with the impacts of OUD can be made to feel isolated by their peers and by their HCPs, which makes it more difficult for them to reach out and find the treatments that are available for this condition.
Simple, Systematic, Scalable
Our Listening Platform makes it simple for patients to speak with us about their experiences in an open and authentic way and easy for you to engage with their perspectives directly.
If you’re interested in hearing from more patients like this one so that you can gain insight into their experiences, beliefs, behaviors, and desires, schedule a demo with us today and see for yourself.
